Happy Birthday//Welcome Home!

[alittlehinky]

The garden is flourishing, a riot of blooms at one end, plants heavy with fruit at the other. The chickens are in place, over two dozen of them in an oversized coop at one end of the property. The barn is unfinished, but the moonshining shed is massive, shiny and new, with locks on the doors and storm shutters on the windows, in case of another winter like the last.

The house is not huge, a sturdy two-bedroom place built with thick stone walls. It contains single floor for living, a small attic, and a deep split-level cellar. The furniture has been moved in; it's all secondhand but repaired and refinished.

By Cricket's own standards, the place is practically a palace. He never dreamed he would own so much land--granted, this is the Nexus so the topography and acreage may fluctuate, his claim may be challenged legally, whatever--it belongs to him right now, he bought it with money he earned, and he's got the living space upon it arranged to his liking.

It's sunset, and there are fairy lights strung up on the porch and in the yard, tables with food and moonshine set out, and beneath the treeline off to the right of the house there are fireflies flickering. There's a radio playing music, and lots of blankets spread on the grass for sitting or watching the stars. It's meant to be a low-key affair, but enough people wanted to see Cricket's place he felt like a party was the right idea. A small one. A quiet one.

(This is the Nexus, and there are Lokis. There is always a chance small and quiet may not stay small and quiet.)

The cake, in case anyone wants to know, is vanilla with blackberry filling. There's no writing on it, but it's the centerpiece of the food table. Cricket's not in the habit of demanding attention on his birthday, but...blackberry cake.

[[ETA: Please feel free to assume if your character knows Cricket they were invited via text or face-to-face discussion. If your character doesn't know Cricket personally but you want them to drop in, feel free to PM me and we'll figure out a reason to get them there.]

Comments

[alittlehinky]

Well, they get dibs on the folding chairs, then, in their pretty dresses.

Harley's enthusiasm is contagious, and he grins, heading to grab her a plate. "Is there anything you'd like, ma'am?" he asks Pamela politely. "I made sure there's vegetarian stuff to eat, but I didn't know what all people would like."

He cuts a generous slice of cake for Harley and presents it to her with a napkin and a fork. "I'm real glad you're both here."

[sweetcandygirl]

Pamela stretches out her hands, and sighs contently. "You have a beautiful quality of air here, Cricket. That is enough."

"We had pizza with Thor, and she feels like it was enough solid form for the next couple of months." Harley sticks her tongue out at the other woman.

"You have such lovely friends Harley." Pamela smiles at the other woman. "It is very appreciative that you went out of your way to provide a vegetarian option."

"Yah... I should really have some of the veggies too... after the sweet!" Harley claims a nice helping of icing off the cake, and sticks it in her mouth.

[alittlehinky]

He smiles at Pamela. "Guess you don't need a cup or a plate to enjoy the air. I should've started the party an hour earlier, maybe, so you could see the sunlight slant through the woods too."

The garden is on the south side of the house, of course, as is the chicken coop. Best to catch the early rays.

"The cake is vegetarian," he adds with a smile. "Only there's milk and butter in it. No eggs, but it ain't vegan. Anyway, I know Harley would come and I wanted her to have fun. The hummus is real good, I promise."

And there's enough cake for Harley to have seconds and thirds if she wants, as far as Cricket's concerned. "Y'all wanna look at the garden? Or the woods? The blackberry and thimbleberry bushes are in full bloom in the woods."

[sweetcandygirl]

Pamela smiles as Cricket talks about the efforts he made for her, and Harley. She extends a hand towards him, growing a flower for him. And holds it out to him. "Sweet boy."

"That sounds yummy, Cricket. I love milk. And butter. Deep fried cheese sticks are the best thing ever." Harley winks at him.

"Oh! Oh! The woods! Then the garden." Harley bounces.

[alittlehinky]

Cricket's eyes get very wide as the spontaneously-growing flower unfolds in front of his eyes. So much of what he runs into in the Nexus is nothing short of magical. He knows Pamela isn't some kind of dryad, but she may as well be the next best thing as far as he's concerned. Blushing like a sunrise, he takes the flower and threads it through the knit of his sweater so he can wear it on his collar. "You're too kind," he tells Pamela with a grin.

He laughs a little at Harley's enthusiasm and shakes his head. "I didn't make those, but I'll remember that for next time."

He starts to head toward the treeline at his easy pace, beckoning them after him. "They kinda run into the Wilds so I gotta be careful not to wander too far unarmed, but it's worth it. Some of the plants are just the same as in the mountains where I grew up."

[sweetcandygirl]

"You need to be armed?" Pamela asks softly as they follow Cricket.

"The Wilds is home to all sorts of predators Red..." Harley explains.

"Oh.... Do you have any protection from those predators coming to your home, Cricket?" Pamela looks a little worried.

"Whatcha thinking Red?" Harley looks at her friend.

"Oh... just a few protective plants. To help persuade predators from coming this way...." Pamela notes softly.

[alittlehinky]

"Well, I got storm shutters for when bad weather comes, and some modular bars for the windows and doors," he says. "Then the cellar has a double-layer door so I reckon it'd work as a panic room in a pinch. And I do have a shotgun and a couple revolvers, but I ain't lookin' to use 'em."

But he remembers the last Winter. He's not likely to forget any time soon. And he's taken some significant precautions to make sure he's prepared next time around. He clears his throat sheepishly. "And also, I got Loki to do some warding. The other one, the one that's with you," he tells Harley. "He said he'd do it for libations once a month, and I thought that was fair."

"I sure ain't sayin' no to plants, though," he smiles at Pamela. "It'd be fun to have 'em around, only if there's something I gotta do to take care of 'em you'd have to tell me."

[sweetcandygirl]

"Ya sound really prepared Cricket." Harley smiled. She is glad that he is looking for ways to protect himself. It helps ease her nervousness of not being living in the same place as him anymore.

"There are two Loki?" Pam snorts slightly.

"He so nice... needs to be there twice." Harley winks. "Nah... The Loki that is dating Cricket is slightly different than the one that I introduced you to, Red."

"I could plant some protective hedges... ones that grow thicker, and produce thorns... when there is a threat perceived." Pamela suggests.